Most Beautiful Campuses of 2023

Updated: March 26, 2023

If you attend your classes on campus rather than online, then your college isn’t just where you will study — it’s where you will live. Many colleges feature striking architecture, ornate landscaping, and scenic views, which can certainly make the years you spend at school much more enjoyable. Below, we’ll show you what to look for and review the most beautiful campuses in the country.

Our Research

To determine the best schools, we took into account the physical features of the campus as well as the average number of sunny days per year. We also considered the availability of hiking trails, waterfront views, and mountain views.

We only included schools in this guide that have been accredited by institutions such as the Higher Learning Commission, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. No matter how nice a college looks, you’ll want to make sure that it’s accredited — this ensures that the program has high academic standards and that your credits will be accepted by another program if you decide to transfer to another college.

26 hours to write this article
63 universities and colleges we assessed
114 education programs we compared

The Top 50 Most Beautiful Campuses

Most Beautiful Campuses Badge

Intelligent Pick

Indiana University

Most Beautiful in the Mid Atlantic

University of Virginia

Most Beautiful in the South

Baylor University

Most Beautiful Small Liberal Arts University

Furman University

Most Beautiful in the Southwest

St. John's College

Most Beautiful in New England

College of the Holy Cross

Most Affordable

Delaware State University

Most Beautiful HBCU South

Dillard University

Most Beautiful Mormon University

Brigham Young University

Best for Applied Sciences

Rice University

Most Beautiful Episcopalian Option

Sewanee: The University of the South

Best for Mentoring

Duke University

Most Beautiful Ivy League Campus

Dartmouth College

Best for Internships

College of William and Mary

Best for Social Mobility

Pepperdine University

Best for Accounting

University of Notre Dame

Most Beautiful Women's College Mid Atlantic

Bryn Mawr College

Most Beautiful Women's College New England

Mount Holyoke College

Happiest Students

Vanderbilt University

Best for Studying Abroad

Elon University

Best Small College for STEM

Best Student-to-Faculty Ratio

Washington University in St. Louis

Most Innovative

Flagler College

Best Research University

Stanford University

Princeton University

Best for Experiential Education

Florida Southern College

Best for Veterans

Most Innovative

Harvard University

Best for Engineering

Cornell University

Best for Leadership Development

Salve Regina University

Best for Computer Science

Northwestern University

Best for Graduate Study

University of Colorado Boulder

Best for Oceanography

University of Washington

Best Value College for Women

Wellesley College

Most Beautiful Lutheran Option

St. Olaf College

Best Liberal Arts College, Mid Atlantic

Swarthmore College

Best for Service Learning

Georgetown University

Best for Early Entry

Best for Environmental Studies

Lewis & Clark College

Best Small Liberal Arts College, South

Best for Natural Sciences

Colgate University

Most Beautiful Catholic Institution, West

University of San Diego

Best for Transfer Students

Loyola Marymount University

University of Missouri

Best for Finance

Lehigh University

Best for Economics

University of Chicago

Best Large Private University, South

Southern Methodist University

Best Student-to-Faculty Ratio

University of Richmond

Best for Community Engagement

Wake Forest University

What You Should Know About Finding a Beautiful Campus

Beauty is objective, of course. An attractive campus to one student may look rather unpleasant to another. For example, if you like the classic look of Gothic architecture, you should consider schools such as Georgetown, Duke, and Sewanee. But if that style is too old-fashioned for your taste, you should check out more modern designs such as the sustainable architecture of Lewis & Clark College.

Natural attractions are another factor to consider. Campuses that are located next to a coast or nestled within a mountain range tend to offer amazing views.

Consider taking weather into account as well. After all, it’ll be difficult to truly enjoy the beauty of your campus if it’s often raining or overcast outside. This is one of the main reasons why the Santa Fe campus of St. John’s College ranks so highly on our list — it’s hard to beat Santa Fe’s average of 325 sunny days per year.

What’s Next?

Dozens of schools offer exceptionally beautiful campuses — how will you choose which option is best for you? Here are a few tips that should help you make your decision:

Take a tour. A campus might look great on a college’s website but feel much less impressive when you’re actually there. For any college that you’re strongly considering, you should contact the school’s admission office and arrange a guided tour. That way, you can confirm that the college looks just as good in person as it does online.
Explore the areas near campus as well. After your tour, you should take the time to check out what the region around the campus has to offer. Easy access to attractions such as hiking trails and state parks can make a beautiful campus even more appealing.
Research the climate. If you happened to take a tour of a campus on a day with perfect weather, this might give you an inaccurate impression of what it’s really like to live there. This is an especially big concern if you’re taking a tour during the summer, as many regions with mild summers have miserable winters. Take advantage of resources such as https://en.climate-data.org/Climate-Data.org to get the full picture of a campus’s weather.
Think beyond beauty. Of course, you shouldn’t make your decision about where to go to college based on the beauty of the campus alone. You’ll also need to consider what you plan to major in, if you want to stay close to home, and many other factors. To help you find a beautiful campus that works for your specific situation, we’ve highlighted a unique feature for each school included in our guide (Most Beautiful in the South, Best for Computer Science, etc.).